Kenneth Miller

Expert on Evolution, Intelligent Design and Creationism

Kenneth Miller has been called "the public guardian of evolution in America." In popular talks, he brilliantly defangs and debunks the Intelligent Design movement, which claims that evolution is "just a theory." Miller turns contentious debate over evolution into an opportunity for greater public understanding about both science and religion.

"Intelligent Design is a science-stopper," says Kenneth Miller. Eighty years after the notorious Scopes Monkey Trial, evolution is still under attack in America. A bestselling author, university professor and repeat guest on The Colbert Report, Miller deftly dismantles every claim put for by proponents of Intelligent Design. What is left, simply, is the truth and beauty of evolution—any why it matters. In offering the definitive, ironclad, and in its own way, beautiful, argument for the theory of evolution, Miller shows you how America can, and why it must, save its scientific soul.

Kenneth Miller is not an atheist. A scientist and a Roman Catholic, he believes God and Darwin's Theory of Evolution can co-exist (read his bestseller Finding Darwin's God for more.) Miller is a professor of biology at Brown—a Walt Whitman-quoting lecturer with a knack for getting across important points in a clear, often humorous manner. He's the author of America's most-used high school biology textbooks. He's debated—and demolished—the most popular proponents of Intelligent Design and creationism in public forums. And he was the lead witness in the historic Dover "Intelligent Design" Trial. (His testimony—glowingly covered in The NewYorker was instrumental in the judge's ruling that the local school board had no right to require teachers to offer ID as an alternative to evolution.)

In his critically acclaimed 2008 book, Only a Theory, and in his talks, Kenneth Miller dissects the arguments of the Intelligent Design movement; despite wonky science, they have nonetheless succeeded in casting doubt on evolution to a largely unscientific public. Nothing less than America's “soul”—its place as the world's leading scientific nation—is at risk, says Miller. But he's not pessimistic. He sees the national debate as an opportunity for public understanding—a moment when support for science can be redeemed. In offering the definitive, ironclad, and in its own way, beautiful, argument for the theory of evolution, Miller shows you how America can, and why it must, save its scientific soul.

A highly regarded scientist's examination of the battle between evolution and intelligent design, and its implications for how science is practiced in America.

Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search For Common Ground Between God and Evolution

Question: Who made us? Answer #1: God made us. Answer #2: Evolution made us. Which is it? What is the true answer to the age-old question of where we came from? Is it even possible to know for sure? In Finding Darwin's God, Kenneth R. Miller offers a surprising resolution to the evolutionism vs. creationism debate.A distinguished professor of biology at Brown University, Miller argues that the genuine world of science is far more interesting than either the scientific mainstream or its creationist critics have assumed. He begins by systematically demolishing the claims of evolution's most vocal critics, showing that Darwin's great insights continue to be valid, even in the rarefied worlds of biochemistry and molecular biology. As he puts it, evolution "is the real thing, and so are we." Does this mean that evolution invalidates all worldviews that depend upon the spiritual? Does it demand logical agnosticism as the price of scientific consistency? And does it rigorously exclude belief in God?

His answer, in each and every case, is a resounding No. Not, as he argues, because evolution is wrong. Far from it. The reason, as Miller shows, is that evolution is right. In this lively, fast-paced book, Miller offers a thoughtful, cutting-edge analysis of the key issues that seem to divide science and religion. As his narrative shows, the difficulties that evolution presents for Western religions are more apparent than real. Properly understood, evolution adds depth and meaning not only to a strictly scientific view of the world, but also to a spiritual one. Miller's resolution of the issues that seem to divide God from evolution will serve as a guide to anyone interested in the classic questions of ultimate meaning and human origins.